Danielle Jackson

Sacramento -- The California State Water Board has turned down an appeal by an alliance of Los Angeles area cities seeking to amend apparent costly, ineffective trash regulations for the Los Angeles River.

Known as the Los Angeles Basin Trash TMDL, the regulations were approved by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. The Coalition for Practical Regulation then appealled to the state board.

The project to clean up the river and allow for a zero-waste plan may cost southern California residents up to $2 billion. Opponents of the measure fear that the plan also will allow for multiple lawsuits, and several feel that the regulations are too extreme and would force cities to either raise taxes or cut from other services.